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How to Fix a Broken XBox Controller

Microsoft Xbox 360 controllers will break if you do not keep them clean. They stop working because dirt and grime filters into the crevices where the buttons meet the front plate of the controller. This can be fixed at home, saving you the $50 cost of a new controller.

Things You'll Need

Phillips-head screwdriver
Water
Soap
Cotton swab
Rubbing alcohol

Instructions

- 1
  Turn the controller upside down and lay it on a flat surface.
- 2
  Unscrew the screws with a Phillips-head screwdriver, setting them aside. Turn the controller over.
- 3
  Remove the front face plate. Remove the buttons and pads and lay them down in the same pattern they were inside the controller. This will prevent you from putting the buttons back in the wrong position.
- 4
  Wipe the buttons and pads down with water and soap.
- 5
  Blow any dirt out of the inside of the controller.
- 6
  Wipe down the contacts the rubber pads sit on with a cotton swab dabbed in rubbing alcohol.
- 7
  Clean the electronics board with cotton swabs dipped in rubbing alcohol if it is dirty.
- 8
  Dry everything before moving forward. If the controller is turned on with wet components inside, it could fry the electronics board.
- 9
  Place the buttons back into the controller in their correct place, then do the same with the rubber pads.
- 10
  Place the front plate back onto the controller.
- 11
  Turn the controller upside-down and screw the screws back into place.

Xbox 360